


The Price For Magnificence

by CodaAtTheEnd



Series: On The Origin of Egos [1]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Deal with a Devil, Gen, Magic, Sean McLoughlin Egos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-07-29 22:04:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20089504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CodaAtTheEnd/pseuds/CodaAtTheEnd
Summary: Marvin the Magnificent didn't always have magic.





	The Price For Magnificence

**Author's Note:**

> Marvin is a Jacksepticeye Ego, see "The Jacksepticeye Power Hour - Marvin the Magnificent" Jack retroactively named this character, so the video says his name is Jack. Phantom and Natemare are Natewantstobattle Egos, see "Phantom" and "Mangled" respectively. Then just go listen to Nate's music because he's amazing. Zach Callison was the actor for the person in "Phantom"

Marvin stood on the wooden stage at the bar that he and Zach had rented out for cheap, the bright lights making him squint and almost drop his cat mask. "Hey, Zach," he said, "can you get the bartender to dial back the lights?"

Zach sighed and shook his head. "Sorry, I already asked. We'll just have to pull through."

Marvin grumbled quietly. This always happened. Whenever he and Zach performed, something made it difficult to impossible to actually do well. It most definitely _wasn't_ because of their incompetence, no siree. They were great magicians! 

"Greetings, mysterious crowd of strangers!" he cried. No response. Okay, tough crowd. "I'm Marvin, this is Zach, and welcome to the Marvelous Magic Show!"

The regulars booed loudly. 

Zach stepped forward and started to speak. "So, we have some doubters in the audience today. Maybe our performance can prove you wrong!"

The audience only booed louder.

Marvin winced. This was not going well. As he glanced over the crowd, he noticed that one man wasn't booing. He was just staring intently at the stage. Marvin had never seen him before, but his eyeliner was on point! The man was wearing a red shirt with a black vest and tie and held a cane loosely in one hand. This guy was obviously someone who appreciated their talent! Marvin would perform for _him_ specifically and ignore all those _losers_ who jeered them.

"Behold!" Zach pulled out three metal rings. "These rings are solid steel, but I can push them together! Marvin, please say the magic word!"

Marvin waved his hands around mysteriously and said, "Abracadabra!"

Zach pushed on the rings. Nothing happened. 

"These rings are a little stubborn. One more time, Marvin."

More jazz hands. "Abracadabra!" 

Zach kept trying, his smile growing a bit forced. After a few minutes, he finally got two of them to interlock. "Behold!"

The audience looked like it was falling asleep. Marvin stepped forward. "For our next act, we shall juggle these-" He flicked his sleeve, trying to make the three red balls he had put in there earlier come out. After a second, the balls rolled out onto the floor. "We shall juggle these balls!"

One member of the audience yelled, "That's not even magic!"

Marvin ignored him/her/them and started juggling. He dropped the balls several times before he had to stop and dodge rotten fruit. There was a group of troublemakers at the front armed with rotting fruit, but most of the audience was asleep. The man with the eyeliner was still watching though. 

Zach laughed nervously and held up a hand. "Watch carefully!" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a few handkerchiefs tied together. He used them to wipe off his sweaty forehead. Marvin agreed that it was awfully warm. Zach tossed the handkerchiefs into the air and said, "Tada..." He wasn't smiling anymore.

When Marvin looked over at the man, he saw him smiling. Was the man amused by their failings? The last spark of hope about this show sputtered and died as he realized that the man he had been trying to impress was just another person who thought they sucked. 

The audience all walked out, laughing about the two idiot magicians who couldn't perform. Marvin yelled after them, "We perform every Saturday!" He sighed, mildly annoyed at himself for getting his hopes up. As he and Zach tidied up, Zach stopped and picked something off of one of the chairs.

"What is that, Zach?" he asked. 

"It's a book," Zach replied. He held it up, and Marvin stared at it. It was a beautiful book, black with golden designs all over it. The cover didn't have a title on it. "I peeked through it, and it's a book of _real spells_!"

Marvin blinked. "Really?"

Zach nodded. "Yeah! Look at this page." He opened up the book and pointed to the page title. _How to Summon Lightning_. 

Marvin was nonplussed. Most magic books were utterly bogus, and the few that weren't had really weird instructions like _"Drink the blood of a newborn babe and chant the Song of the Beast"_ or _"Inscribe a circle with the Runes of Power"_. "Let's take it back to the apartment and read through it," he said.

"Okay."

They finished with the cleanup and walked back to their apartment, only 3 blocks away. The night was loud and bright since there were still several establishments open. 

When they returned to their apartment, there was a brief moment when neither Marvin nor Zach could find their key, but it was in Zach's back pocket, to Marvin's relief. The last time they hadn't had their key, they were forced to wait outside for hours until the landlady showed up. 

Marvin walked in first and slumped on the raggedy couch. He was exhausted, but wide awake at the same time. "Alright Zach," he said. "Let's get a look at this magic book."

Zach sat down next to him and opened the book to the first page. _Book of Phantom_, it read in large print. They read about magic long into the night and practiced by drawing smiley faces out of fire, conjuring elements, summoning things, etc. It was _very_ late when they finally went to their beds and much later when they actually managed to fall asleep. 

They practiced for the rest of the week, going outside for the more dangerous things. Marvin also took the time to research the _Book of Phantom_, and he was a little more wary of it now. According to Reddit, Phantom was a malicious entity that tried to steal your soul by trading you your heart's desire. So, stereotypical devil, but the worst part was the Book. Phantom handed out his book to people to act like a fisherman's bait, drawing in the prey. 

The most ominous part of the Book that made Reddit's theories _maybe_ seem true was the last page. _"I'm not what you want, but I'm exactly what you need. If this isn't enough, come see Phantom."_ It listed a set of instructions after that would supposedly lead the person to Phantom. It was spooky, but with their new magic skills, they wouldn't need to go see Phantom. That crowd would be proven _so_ wrong. 

* * *

"Hello, mysterious crowd of strangers!" Marvin crowed, secure in his jubilation. Nothing would go wrong _this_ time.

The audience sighed. They _thought_ they knew what was happening. 

Zach smiled. "Oh, people, you have no idea what's waiting for you."

"Magic is real, and we are practitioners," Marvin said

"Behold!" they cried in unison.

Zach took off his hat and pulled out what looked like a dead rat. After a minute, Marvin realized that it was the bartender's toupee. 

The audience was audibly shocked. Marvin smiled.

"Like we said. Real magic," Zach said, grinning with the joy of finally being on a winning streak. 

Marvin whispered, "Lightning?"

Zach smirked. "Yeah."

Marvin adjusted his cat mask and swung his hands downward. Electricity pulsed down, cracking and sparking and his eyes glowed electric blue for a fleeting moment before fading back to normal.

The audience cheered for the first time since the duo had first started to perform. Marvin basked in the applause for a minute that was all too short before the awe turned to screams. He turned and stared in horror at what he had done to the wooden stage. The lightning had started a fire that ate up the stage and flicked up the walls. The audience ran as the smoke alarm blared. 

Zach tried to beat out the flames with his hat before running off the stage, narrowly avoiding the falling curtains. Marvin sprinted off as well, dodging the blaze. As he ran, he thought he could see the man with the eyeliner, but then he lost sight of him. The two ran to their apartment, fleeing the scene of the crime.

When they finally stopped, panting for breath, Zach sighed deeply. "I just thought that one was _it_ ya know?"

Marvin nodded. It had felt _so_ good to have people _like_ them. But something _always_ happened. Always. 

"Well..." Zach said slowly, "we could always go see Phantom."

Marvin shook his head violently. He didn't want the Reddit theories to be true. "No, no, no. We _can't_ do that."

He walked into the apartment, slumping onto the couch. "I just don't think its worth the risk. I mean, it's our _souls_."

Zach grabbed the Book and sat on the couch, flipping to the last page. "It never _says_ you give up your soul."

"Well that's not something you'd advertise, Zach." He pulled off his cat mask and inspected it. The white had been covered in soot, but it was nothing that wouldn't wipe off.

"Please?" Zach gave some puppy-dog eyes.

"No!"

"How 'bout _I_ sign without you, and I'll do an individual show. When nothing bad happens, you can do it too," Zach said. "Perfect compromise."

Marvin considered this. He _really_ didn't want Zach to do it, but Zach seemed so earnest about it. "Fine."

Zach smiled broadly. "Thanks, Marv! I'll look over the book tonight and go see Phantom tomorrow morning!"

Marvin watched Zach run to his room with the book. He didn't feel great about this, but Zach seemed happy.

* * *

Zach looked over the instructions for the transportation. He had to draw an inverse summoning circle that was linked to the summoning circle in Phantom's domain. Seemed legit. Getting everything exact would be hard, but he could do it in the morning. He put the book down and drifted off into the black oblivion of sleep. 

When he woke up, he went through his morning routine distractedly. He burned his toast and put hair gel on his toothbrush. Both things tasted awful. But he was just too excited! He was finally going to be a great magician, and all he had to do was draw a really complicated circle! 

It took him a few minutes to find some chalk and a needle, and Marvin had really looked at him funny when he had asked for the needle, but he had everything. He went back to his room and started drawing.

Fortunately for him, the Book said that nothing had to be perfect, which was good since drawing a perfect circle was practically impossible unless you were a robot. The runes looked more like a kindergartner's scribbles, but it was the thought that counted. He pricked his finger with the needle and let a single drop of blood fall onto the center rune. "Phantom," he whispered softly, and the world changed around him.

All of the sudden, he was standing in a far better summoning circle in a corridor of red. The walls were covered in picture frames, doorways lined the walls, and the hallway seemed to move out of the corner of his eye.

"Greetings," a voice from behind him said.

He spun around to behold a young man with dark hair and blue streaks like tear tracks down his face. "Hey," he said. 

The man pointed at a doorway that hadn't been open a moment before. "Phantom is waiting."

Zach nodded. "Thanks."

The man smirked. "Don't thank me."

Zach walked through the doorway into a red room filled with figurines, picture frames, and various knickknacks. By the far wall, there was a man behind a desk. The man was wearing a red shirt with a black vest and tie, his eyeliner was _flawless_, and his arms were covered in tattoos. He held a cane in his left hand and gestured with it for Zach to sit down.

He sat and the man pushed an inkwell with a white feather pen in it. 

"So you're saying," he said slowly, "if I sign this, I can put on the perfect show."

The man grinned broadly and said, "Kid, if you sign? Give 'em a show they will never forget."

He rolled out a long scroll and started pointing to various blanks. "Sign here, initial here, last four of your social here."

Zach looked at him, confused. This was getting ridiculous!

"Yup, last four of them right there. Right there. Mother's maiden name, sign here, any allergies, if you have 'em, initial, initial, name of your first pet, initial here, aaaaaand done!"

Zach sighed in relief. That was incredibly tedious. It was like filling out those personality quizzes. 

The man leaned back and smiled. "Now, get out there! Go get 'em kid!"

Zach smiled back and left, passing by the man with the blue tear tracks on the way. He entered the circle and reappeared in his shoddy circle in his bedroom.

"Yes! Woooooooooo!" he yelled. 

Marvin peeked his head in. "I'm assuming you signed successfully?" 

"Oh, you betcha!"

* * *

The next week passed in agonizing slowness. Zach had bought a lovely black cape, a new _not_-burnt magician's hat, and a wand. When Saturday night _finally_ came, he was so ready. He had read through the Book once again, and he had the perfect thing. He was just doing one act, less chance to mess up, and Hypnotic Pattern seemed like it would do the trick. 

He stood alone on the stage for the first time. He was slightly nervous, but that was to be expected. 

The crowd was silent. So was Zach. No more fancy introductions, no more jazz hands, no more. Just the motions necessary. Everything would be precise.

He swung his wand upwards and held it there, imagining the waves of color that he wanted. 

_Please work. Please work_. 

Color burst like fireworks, spreading over the crowd. There were _oohs_ and _aahs_ as the audience stared up at the colors. Applause rang out as the audience cheered. It had worked. It had actually worked! As he gazed into the crowd, he saw Phantom staring up at him.

He had planned to just _walk_ off the stage, but he was a magician now. He had signed with Phantom, and he would put on the perfect show. The teleportation spell was tricky, but it would give his show the perfect finish. He raised his arms and visualized the space behind the audience. 

He disappeared in a puff of smoke and started smiling before noticing that the applause was gone, and he was most definitely not in the bar anymore. He was in a glass ball, and beyond the glass was a familiar red room. He banged on the glass violently, but to no avail. With a sick feeling in his stomach, he realized that maybe signing with Phantom hadn't been such a good idea. He kept banging on the glass until his world disappeared in a flash of red.

* * *

Marvin stared at the stage where his friend had been as he waited for Zach to pop up and yell, "Surprise!" Maybe Zach had been right. Maybe signing with Phantom wasn't such a bad thing. As the minutes ticked by, the crowd grew restless, and Marvin grew worried. He pulled out his phone and sent off a quick text.

9:27 PM

coolcat: yo zach where you at

He waited for another few minutes, but no response. A sick feeling grew in his stomach as he realized that maybe he had been right all along.

9:33 PM

coolcat: this isnt funny come on

He had been right all along. Zach belonged to Phantom now. There was nothing he could do.

As he walked back to the apartment slowly, he couldn't stop thinking about what he could have done to prevent this. He could have refused, but then Zach could have just done it behind his back. He could have taken the Book, but Zach knew all his hiding spots. He could have burned the book, but Zach would have never trusted him again. 

Where even was the Book? Zach had taken it to visit Phantom, and he hadn't put it anywhere Marvin had seen. Maybe it was in his room. Maybe Phantom had taken it back now that he had Zach's soul. Anyway, if Marvin found it, he would burn it. That thing had stolen Zach's life. 

As he walked into the apartment, he noticed three things. One, the lights were on, and he had turned them off when he left for Zach's show. Two, the Book was on the table. Three, there was a sheet of paper on the Book.

He walked over to the table and picked up the paper. 

_Keep it,_ the note said. _I have another one. Burning it won't do anything. -Phantom_

Marvin was extremely unnerved. Phantom knew where he lived, left him the Book that was used as bait to get people to give up their souls, and knew that he had been thinking of burning the thing. Yeah... Not creepy in the slightest. 

He picked up the Book, wondering why Phantom had left him the thing in the first place. He had practically memorized all the spells. He flipped through it, and _every_ page was different. It was like a sequel to the first version, building off of concepts introduced earlier. Huh. Well, the Book was definitely being put away somewhere secret, somewhere that was really hard to get to even if he wanted to. Maybe he would give up real magic for a while. There were some trick magic sets on Amazon for cheap.

**Author's Note:**

> So, what do you think of Marvin's origin story?


End file.
